Using iDNA to Understand and Prevent Rift Valley Fever in Rwanda

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects both humans and livestock, causing serious health and economic impacts in eastern and southern Africa. In Rwanda, outbreaks can be triggered by environmental factors like heavy rains—but new evidence suggests that the diversity of animal hosts might also play a key role in how the virus spreads and persists.In this pilot project, we are testing an innovative, non-invasive surveillance tool called invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA). By collecting blood-fed mosquitoes from Akagera National Park and nearby farms in Rwanda’s Eastern Province, we can identify the animals they have fed on and detect the presence of the RVF virus. This will help us understand whether higher biodiversity reduces the risk of severe outbreaks and supports healthier ecosystems.The insights gained will strengthen One Health strategies—linking ecosystem conservation with public health—and could be applied to monitor other vector-borne diseases in tropical countries. Because iDNA sampling is low-impact and scalable, it has the potential to be a powerful addition to national disease surveillance systems.The project is a close collaboration with Rwandan partners, including Dr. Beth Kaplin and Dr. Venuste Nsengimana from the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management at the University of Rwanda, Dr. Noel Gahamanyi from the National Research Lab at the Rwanda Biomedical Center, Dr. Anselme Shyaka from the Centre for One Health at the University of Global Health Equity, Janvier Uwayezu from the University of Rwanda’s Department of Biology, Dr. Julius Nziza from Gorilla Doctors in Kigali, and Dr. Olivier Nsengimana from the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association.